Voice-Tribune review by Robin Garr
For a while there, the restaurant space at the back corner of Chenoweth Square became something of a joke among local foodies. The spacious facility had enjoyed restaurant success over 20 years or so as the culinary home of the original Rick's, Indigo and later Rick's Ferrari Grille. In recent years, though, this venue housed what seemed like an endless succession of lackluster, short-lived eateries.
But that was before Majid Ghavami opened his namesake eatery almost two years ago. Based on a recent return visit with friends, I think it's likely to break the "curse." Central to the burgeoning St. Matthews entertainment zone, it's drawing crowds throughout the week.
Much of this return to glory can be attributed to the work of Ghavami, who's been a master of the maitre d's arts for many years, having come up through the fabled Casa Grisanti, Mamma Grisanti and Vincenzo's before opening Saffron's, then joining Volare as its general manager and now, putting a cap on it all at the stylish spot that bears his name.
As in the past, the restaurant incorporates both a spacious dining room and a separate bar, but considerable reconstruction has opened up the bar space into a large, casually sophisticated venue. The dining room is an elegant space, now done in gray, silver and black, although the large lighted fish tanks set into the walls remain from prior institutions.
Majid's bill of fare has evolved a bit since opening, moving from a focus on the cuisines of the modern nations covered by the ancient Persian Empire (from Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean through Southwest Asia to India) to a more international menu that still offers delicious tastes from Ghavami's Iranian heritage.
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes.com:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/majid ... re-to-stay
Majid's
3930 Chenoweth Square
618-2222
http://majidstmatthews.com